Prototype Knowledge Base: an on-line information service in

dependability and security

Hugh GlaserElectronics & Computer Science

University of Southampton

Budapest, 22nd. March 2007

With

• Ian Millard

• Afraz Jaffri

• Benedicto Rodriguez

• ReSIST Partners– esp. Brian Randell

Background:Semantic Web Challenge 2003

Winner• CS AKTive Space

– Gather data – UK People, projects, publications

• Research funding

• Top Universities

– Geographical presentation

• AKT Project (www.aktors.org)

The Challenges• Scientific Intelligence

– Who is doing what where?– What impact are they having?

• Integrating resources

– CORDIS, Institutional DBs and web sites, ePrints, NSF, CiteSeer, RISKS list, ISO LoCodes…

• Information: distributed and heterogeneous– Not under own control– Not in a common format– Not where you expect it

• Presenting to users & agents

ReSIST - Start Again

• A ReSIST Knowledge Base - The RKB

• Project Infrastructure support• Europe (no longer UK-centric), the World• Up to date• Extra subject targets (resilience)• Browser & platform independent• Engineer for maintenance

– Empower partners and other contributors– Empower other application builders

ReSIST - and deliver

• D10 - 2007-01-01T00:00:00A• In fact it is just a URI to a service:

– http://resist.ecs.soton.ac.uk/sparql/

• Or the raw content can be browsed– http://resist.ecs.soton.ac.uk/browse/

• But there is a brand new faceted browser– http://resist.ecs.soton.ac.uk/explorer/

• The RKB is embedded in the infrastructure• The prototype is already being used

Structure

Citeseer, CORDIS, DBLP,Partners, UN LoCode, …

3store3store CRSCRSConversion &

Versionning

Ontologies, etc,

Sources

• Publications– Partners– Citeseer– DBLP– ACM– DSN & FTCS

Series

• Documents– RISKS Digest

• Projects– CORDIS– NSF

• People– Partners

• Support– UN LoCode

Ontologies etc.

• AKT Ontology– Scientific Research Activity– Dates– Location– …

• ALRL Paper• Courseware (extension of LOM)• RISKS Codes• ACM Classification

Main Browser - RKB Explorer

Searching

Location

Course Metadata

Course Locations

Semantic Wiki

Editing

Classifying

Browsing Raw Data

Open Access

At the Centre

3store3store CRSCRS

So what is RDF...?

• Resource Description Framework

• W3C recommendation– From Semantic Web research efforts

• Modelling language– Represents facts about resources

• Can model any abstract domain– Things do not have to be accessible on the web– But can be described in it

RDF: Basic components

• RDF graphs are formed by triples

subject predicate object

Important Components3store and CRS

• 3store– Open source semantic store– Scalable

• ReSIST - 50 million facts– (cf Wikipedia metadata)

• CRS - Consistent Reference Service– Bridges between disparate sources

Openness

• Almost nothing shown was private

• Except– Wiki project discussion pages

• But semantic relations go to RKB

– Data entry• Controlled

• Not moderated

Future for ReSIST & the RKB• Improve on the Prototype

– Sources– CRS– UI

• Resilient-Explicit Computing– Model expert knowledge– Model processes, components, mechanisms

• Support Engineer/Scientist– Move effectively between

• System design• Knowledge Base• People

– To choose cost, characteristics, etc

• Support Run-Time Deployment– Dynamic Reconfiguration

Future Resources

• Original proposal– Now primarily maintenance

• Victim of success?– Important infrastructure– Serious resources to be maintained– People want to provide data (costs)

Response• ReSIST

– Has increased future RKB resources

• Other Funding and Additionality– Lithuania & Saarbrücken– JISC

• Longer term– Self-funding - SIGs, Clubs– Infrastructure - EU, EPSRC, NSF

• Engineer for Maintenance and Openness• Open

– Knowledge Sources– Knowledge Publishing

Some Review Highlights

• One year of work - one RF funded• ReSIST has done what it said it would do

– And more• In particular, 1M -> 40M• Sophisticated UI

• Real tool for the network, from outset• Excellent Partner co-operation

– Data– Evaluation– Ontology work

• Much Value in Expert Involvement